BALAYAN, Batangas— The Boston Celtics clinched the spot in the Finals of the NBA Playoffs 2024 after remaining undefeated, 4-0, against the Indiana Pacers in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, 105-102, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Tuesday, May 28 (PHT).
For the 23rd time in the Celtics’ franchise history, they advanced to the NBA Finals.
Jaylen Brown paved the way for the Celtics after having a record of 29 points and 6 rebounds. This was followed by Jayson Tatum with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists.
Derrick White also contributed 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 steals.
“Great shot. We work on that all the time, two-on-one reads. Before that, I told D White just to stay ready and that was a big shot, a big shot to send us to the finals,” Brown said.
White made a tie-breaking 3-pointer with 43 seconds remaining. This resulted in the Celtics taking the lead and sweeping the Pacers to the Finals, 105-102.
“We feel confident, we feel comfortable in any type of game, and we feel we’ve got answers for anything at us. We’ve just got to find the right ones,” White said.
The Pacers still played great after having the lead almost the entire game and having a close match every game against the Celtics.
Andrew Nembhard spearheaded the Pacers after finishing with 24 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds. Pascal Siakam contributed 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Additionally, T.J. McConnell added 15 points, and Aaron Nesmith had 14.
“They fought us hard to the wire; they have pride as a team. They didn’t want to give up. We missed bunnies all night. I knew we were due for one. That was a big time shot,” Tatum said.
Despite the Pacers having a closely contested matchup with the Celtics, the latter team still managed to make a late-game rally that resulted in them getting the victory.
The Celtics narrowed the gap to 102-100 after Tatum’s dunk with 3:12 remaining, tying the score with 2:40 left.
This was followed by Brown’s mid-range jumper, and then the Celtics took the lead with White’s 3-pointer.
During this, the Celtics forced two turnovers, and Brown blocked Nembhard’s short at the rim with 1:05 left.
The Pacers had the opportunity when Tatum failed to make a 3-pointer with 8 seconds remaining, but Jrue Holiday secured the rebound and ran out the clock before the Pacers committed a foul.
Tension was evident during the third quarter when the Pacers’ center, Myles Turner, knocked the Celtics’ guard, White, to the ground.
Brown grabbed Turner’s shoulder, and Turner pushed Brown away. Turner was called for an offensive foul, and both he and Brown received technical fouls.
Meanwhile, Nembhard missed a crucial tying 3-pointer in the last seconds. The Pacers did not have the opportunity to get the ball again.
“Our guys embraced it. Give them [the Celtics] credit for the stuff they pulled off at the end of the last two games. They simply made more plays,” Pacers’ coach Rick Carlisle said.